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Marriott is Putting on (Some Changes at) The Ritz-Carlton

November 17, 2009 at 5:32 PM | by | Comment (1)

Back in August, we had heard whispers that Marriott Hotels would be changing things up with its Ritz-Carlton Hotels. The rumors were that Marriott would be making Ritz more Marriott-y by handing over some of the operations to Marriott corporate folks. A commenter lamented the change saying:

It is at General Manager level in Ritz Carlton that is causing the biggest effect. Marriott GM's are coming onboard and don't have the passion or understanding that "Old School" Ritz Carlton GM's have. The 15 year Ritz Carlton Veteran becoming a GM is a thing of the past.

And then that was pretty much we heard about all of that. Until Travel Weekly's article about the "ambitious corporate makeover" going on over at the Ritz. The rumors were true--Marriott is doing extensive restructuring of Ritz-Carlton.

Travel Weekly writes:

Marriott International is undertaking an ambitious corporate makeover that will split it into four autonomous divisions around the globe and bring many formerly independent Ritz-Carlton brand operations into Marriott’s corporate offices.

The final details of the plan, including the number of jobs that will be moved or eliminated, are still being worked out, though Marriott President Arne Sorenson said, "The number of jobs lost will not be very large."

Even so, he said there would be "significant reshuffling" before the reorganization is complete.

Ritz-Carlton's CEO Simon F. Cooper maintained that the Ritz brand personality will still be the same and that all of the changes are really "back of the house" sort of stuff that shouldn't affect a guest's experience at the hotel.

His intentions sound genuine enough but what happens at the back of the house sometimes makes noises that the houseguests in the living room can hear. Ok that was just a totally awful analogy. But either way, you know what we're getting at. We'll be watching this situation as it unfold.

If you're a loyal Ritz-Carlton guest who's noticed either a drop or a boost in service during your recent stays, let us know about it. You can email us your thoughts or write about them in comments below.

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Ritz-Carlton's GMs

I've met a couple of GMs who were "15 year Ritz Carlton Veteran" and was very impressed with them--it'll be interesting to see how this move plays out.
zeverson on November 17, 2009 at 7:54 PM #Permalink

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